School officials react to Sanford stimulus refusal

In February, the Aiken County Board of Education agreed on projected cost-saving measures to address millions of dollars in state budget cuts - including the elimination of 90 teaching positions by increasing class size.

However, saving as many of those jobs as possible would have been a priority with the arrival of federal stabilization funds, said Board Chair Dr. Christine Harkins.

That opportunity may become more difficult, following Gov. Mark Sanford's emphatic pronouncement that he will not accept $700 million in federal funds intended to offset budget cuts to general operations that school districts have faced. The Aiken school district would lose at least $2.4 million in federal revenue in 2009-10.

"Gov. Sanford has done a terrible travesty to K-12 education and higher education," said Harkins. "Our future generation in South Carolina is going to be responsible for paying off the same amount of debt. But we won't benefit one iota for his refusal to accept the dollars."

USC Aiken was scheduled to get $1.7 million in additional revenue in 2009-10 and additional funds the following year, said Chancellor Dr. Tom Hallman. The immediate allocation would have offset much of the $2.5 million the university has lost to budget cuts this year.

Those funds would have allowed USCA to work its way in for modest tuition hikes over a two or three-year period.

"Now, we either have to go through an extended reduction in our activities or increase tuition in a more rapid fashion," said Hallman.

Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, joined Sanford in a news conference Thursday. In a news release, Ryberg said the $700 million will come to South Carolina and not other states because "it is our money."

He accused legislative Republicans and Democrats of resorting to fear tactics.

"It must stop," Ryberg said. "I call upon the leadership of the General Assembly to meet with the governor and set aside the politics of fear and come to a solution."

But, State Superintendent Dr. Jim Rex said that 5,000 education jobs could be eliminated next year because of budget cuts. Yet half could be saved if Sanford would accept the stabilization dollars, he said. If the governor doesn't, South Carolinians will be paying back federal dollars to save teachers' jobs in Idaho and Oklahoma, the superintendent said.

"What kind of message do we send to the rest of the nation, not to mention our own kids," said Rex, "If South Carolina becomes the only state to refuse funds aimed at helping public schools."

The Aiken School Board is being thwarted not only by Sanford, but by state legislators, Harkins said. They approved property tax reform (Act 388), which substituted a sales tax increase for property taxes on residences. Sales tax revenue has plummeted, contributing to a series of budget cuts throughout the current fiscal year.

"This whole budget process for the last year has been so terribly stressful," said Harkins. "When you have a glimmer of hope, but then our anti-public education governor stymies any possibility, it's just one more demonstration of the fact that he is anti-public education."

However, Ryberg maintains that the state's debt burden carries greater consequences than the current budget shortfall.

"I have, for years, attempted to impress upon the General Assembly," he said, "the fact that our retirement system carries tens of billions of dollars of debt that continues to grow ... Legislators will be hard-pressed to explain to those private citizens why they are guaranteeing with their tax dollars a benefit for state employees while their private retirement plans enjoy no such guarantee."

Ryberg said he would welcome an effort planned by the governor to produce a budget which fully funds education and law enforcement with the money available without using stabilization funds.

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.